With a workbench in place and a few tools put away, we had to make something within our capacity. We cut a few wafers of live oak the other day. We carefully dried and tempered the wood. Then tonight we sanded, wood burnt the design, lacquer sealed the ornament, and made a wire hanger. Kelly helped with the processes, helped me organize the shop more today, and sat with me this evening.

An enjoyable project.

Merry Christmas

Gary and Kelly

That will look nide handing in the tree. Can I get one?

Hi Keith,
Thank you. I'm glad you like it.
I suspect you are serious. Let me make sure the discs are stable as we have done them. As you may know - a cross section wafer is prone to crack. If we did this right - it will remain clean and nice. A few days will most likely tell.

Gary

Looks like a fun project . I have tried to expidite the same process with some black walnut tree wood that fell over in a flood/ storm. The base of the tree has to be at least 2ft 6in across maybe 3 ft and i cut it on a bias diagonal intending to make an oval shape coffee table. I have not been able to retain the bark which to me adds so much character.. I tried to dry out wood slowly in a plastic bag thinking that might work but was denied!!! T he big cracks didnt bother me so much but the bark just seperated and fell of so other than gluing or nailing it back on i didnt figure it out yet but i am not much of a wood guy anyways ( i was going for the distressed look).that was about 4yrs ago and i still got the tree cut into 10ft sections. except for the roots attached to trunk which are very shallow on a walnut tree . when the flood water came up it saturated the earth around it and the weight of the tree just tiped it over. I still want to use it to make a table for outside by fliping it upside down using the flat shallow root system as a table top somehow maybe some 1in thick circular clear plexi .or build a mold and pour some of that liquid stuff (you know what i mean)) into the mold and set the roots into it. ENOUGH . nice work hope it holds up for ya

Thanks
Kurt

Hi Kurt,

Many things there. Good post. Thanks.

Drying wood is an artform. I don't claim to be real good at it, but I've learned a few things. Air drying wood takes a year an inch to dry. Therefore; a one inch thick board - stacked on slats so air can get to both sides - will air dry in six months. A log - say just 6 inches in diameter - will take three years to air dry. And - it has to be protected so the outside doesn't check and rot before the interior dries.

This is why wood is cut into planks to cure. Gunstock stuff - 2" thick - can air dry in a year.

Kiln drying doesn't take much heat. It's not a hot oven. It only needs to be around a 90-120 degrees as I recall.

To keep bark on wood as it dries, it matters the time of the year when it's cut. And the drying cycle. If you dry it fast - the bark will come off.

Tip - you can often buy round tempered glass (shatter proof) at a place like Pier One for tables - cheaper then you can go get a shop to cut it for you. Used to be that way anyway. And - plexiglass, Lexan, Polycarbonate have become SOOOO expensive that glass is almost always cheaper. Seems to have been my experience.

To pour resin, you really have to have good dry stable wood. Any moisture in the wood, will cloud the resin and make a situation where the resin seperates from the wood - as the wood moves.

Talk more later.

Gary

Hey thanks for info i do have a couple more years befor my wife will make me turn it into fire wood. It is amazing what people tell you it is worth until you try to find some one to buy it. I might just take it up to local Amish and have them board it up for me.

Thanks
Kurt

Hi Kurt,

Have the Amish cut it in 8/4 (read eight quarter) planks. Especially the butt log - that's where the color will be. And, all the better if they will "quarter saw" the logs. That's more or less like you'd slice a pie. It shows better symmetrical grain from side to side. They don't actually cut wedge shaped planks, but they rotate the log and try to keep the annual rings running thru the plank at 90 degrees to the sides.

Stack it, with slats between the roughsawn planks, under a shed roof outside (just a couple pcs of tin, etc.) That will keep it dry, and let air circulate around it. Have that done and we will talk in a year. A year an inch - two inch plank ... drying from both sides.

Gary



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/01/2012 05:23AM by barnespneumatic.

Must be nice, an inch a year.'

It's so wet here that I think wood rots at about that rate.

University of Mn, Arboretum has large slab black walnut tables and shelving, book matched with butterfly joints and free edges.
Ck out George Nakashima the woodworker who did these.

www.nakashimawoodworker.com

Joe

Interesting work. Very clean jointery.

Thanks for pointing it out Gunker.

Gary

good link gunker.. many thanks.